


A Doppelganger and an Operative Get a Room

by uglyNicc



Series: A Doppelganger and an Operative [2]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: 69 (Sex Position), Anal Sex, Hotel Sex, M/M, Masturbation, Oral Sex, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Porn with Feelings, Rare Pairings, Rimming, gonna fill this ship tag myself if I have to
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-07-29 07:14:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20078245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uglyNicc/pseuds/uglyNicc
Summary: It'd taken a week for him to muster up the courage to give Zane's ECHO a try, but nothing is ever easy, and no one has worse luck than Tim.





	A Doppelganger and an Operative Get a Room

**Author's Note:**

> Thank gearbox for releasing that Zane trailer for this finally getting finished :D If you like it let me know! I can tell you now I 'm prob gonna be cranking out some more Zane content in future~
> 
> (Since this is pretty much a pwp series, reading part 1 isn’t really a prerequisite to this, though it does get referenced a bit)

Really, it was Tim’s fault, for not seeing this coming.

Every time he thought he was on the verge of getting his life together, some ill-timed misfortune struck him out of the blue.

After their encounter, Zane’s comm details were burning a hole in Tim’s pocket. Still, he was reluctant to try it so soon. Pulling himself out of the dour funk he'd been drinking himself deeper into, the doppelganger had found a couple jobs nearby. Corporate hits mostly, but they paid enough to supply him with room and board on Promethea until he figured out where he was heading next.

It wasn’t like him to engage in random, semi-public hook-ups in rundown bars, and even less like him to go back for more. But after a week hearing the gruff voice in his ear, recalling the callused fingers and smooth leather against his skin, the smell of sweat and sex, Tim mustered the courage to call up Zane.

He’d half expected the assassin to act aloof or, worse, not remember him at all. This was usually the norm, if any of Tim's prior though admittedly limited experiences were anything to go by.

"So...I was wondering,” Tim ventured nervously. “If you're still on Promethea I mean, if you wanted to..." He whet his lips and took a deep breath, hoping he was using the expression correctly, "get the ride again?"

Zane’s answer was immediate and flat. “A ride where?"

Tim had precious few seconds to stew in his embarrassment before Zane's laugh crackled over the comm.

"I'm just playin' with ya, Gorgeous,” he assured. “Truth is, at the moment I’m a bit a ways from Promethea, but that won’t keep me from acceptin’ an invitation like that.” Over the static on the line, Tim swore he could hear the grin on Zane’s face.

Relieved, and feeling the first creeping tingle of anticipation, Tim eagerly scrawled out the address the older man supplied for them to meet.

Walking through the still smouldering streets of the Meridian Metroplex, the doppelganger had taken a wrong turn and come face to face with a hoard of the Calypso Twin’s “war meat.” The ensuing scrimmage with the pack of rabid Psychos left Tim relatively unscathed, though he’d immediately regretted a grenade he tossed when it resulted in a literal blood bath.

Dripping in gore, Tim considered turing right back round and screaming at whatever force in the universe kept making him the butt of some giant cosmic joke. Loitering in the alley, he wondered if there was a way to salvage this evening.

He wasn’t that far away from where they were meeting, and he really didn’t want to blow Zane off.

Besides, he reasoned, he didn’t know a whole lot about the older man, but was sure a blood-splattered date showing up shouldn’t come as that much of a surprise when you lived as a contract killer…

Checking the directions he’d scribbled out, Tim looked for the hotel. The area he’d arrived in had accommodations way out of his income bracket, all convention centres and elegant luxury complexes.

He looked up at a towering, glittering skyscraper. “That…can’t be right,” Tim muttered. The scrap of paper he’d jotted the address on was now smeared with red fingerprints and getting more and more illegible as he handled it.

Shoving the note back in his pocket, he approached the wide-eyed doorman to see if he had the right place.

“Y-yes, sir,” the doorman stuttered, failing miserably in his attempt to mask the look of horror and desire to flee. Tim didn’t blame him, voicing his thanks before trudging bloody footprints through the spotless glass doors.

If he hadn’t been so eager to get away from the gawking eyes and horrified gasps as he dripped carnage in the lobby, Tim would have liked to spend more time gapping at the luxury surrounding him.

Everything was simple and sparse, in the way that drew attention to just how expensive each carefully selected fixture and finish was. From the gleaming stone floor to the polished woodgrain of the walls and counters, everything reflected the soft glow from the massive geometric chandelier hanging from the centre of the high ceilinged lobby.

Afraid to touch anything, he quickly beelined for the elevator bank. Thumbing the button for the 53rd floor as Zane had directed, Tim grimaced at the wet smear left by his finger. Counting the floors along with the digital display during the ascent, Tim felt a lump rise in his throat. He wasn’t feeling any second thoughts, only immense regret that he was once again a complete mess. He’d been a drunk, depressed mess when Zane first met him in the bar, now he was a literal, bloody mess.

The doors opened with a chime the same moment the doppelganger huffed out a resigned sigh. Straightening his shoulders, he set out down the hall.

When Zane opened the door of his room, dressed in casual, loose fitting shirt and slacks, his one visible blue eye widened.

“Christ almighty.”

“Yeah…” Tim shuffled in the doorway, somehow feeling even more foolish now that he’d actually arrived. “I, uh, ran into some trouble on the way — ”

“Can see that!” Zane’s barking laughter filled the hall. “Well don’t just stand there bleedin’ all over the place,” he said, stepping aside so Tim could retreat inside.

As soon as he was over the threshold, Tim spun on his heel to launch into his explanation. Zane waved the words aside. “Listen, so long’s you’re not hurt, ya can spare me the details.” His moustache twitched as he tried to keep a straight face. “And not that ya don’t look a treat, but shower’s over there.”

“Got it,” Tim laughed anxiously. “Sorry…Thanks,” he rambled as he hurried in the direction of Zane’s gesture.

Closing the door behind him, Tim was faced with yet another space he felt extremely out of place occupying.

The bathroom was spacious and pristine, golden light radiating from glass sconces mounted on the marble tiled walls in even intervals. There was a jaccuzzi tub in one corner, and an enormous walk-in glass shower in the other.

Realizing he was gawking at a washroom that was probably worth more than any hole in the wall he'd ever called home, Tim mentally shook himself and began undressing.

Lumping his filthy clothes in the corner, he wasted no time hopping into the shower. Basking under the piping hot water, he hoped to wash away the grime and at least some of his humiliation over the way the night had unfolded so far.

Steam wafted up around him as he lathered creamy bodywash over his skin, breathing in the faint hint of exotic spices wafting from the bubbles. As blood and sweat swirled down the drain, Tim wondered if this hotel was the kind of place Zane was used to frequenting, or if this was a fancy one-off for Tim's sake.

Considering all Tim had needed was a free cocktail before accepting a stranger’s invitation to fuck in a grimy bathroom, the doppelganger wondered if that made him feel more or less awkward. He didn't normally consider himself a cheap date, but being down on one's luck plus drunk to boot did make for some questionable decision making.

The years of vault hunting and contract killing had changed a lot of things about Tim, but his deep seated shyness and introversion when it came to relationships, casual or not, was still deeply rooted. He’d never been one to pursue, and tended to hesitate even when being pursued.

But the idea of never seeing Zane again had caused an uncomfortable knot to form in the pit of his stomach.

Thinking he’d spent enough time enjoying the high-end bath products and soothing spray on his skin, Tim turned the faucet off and reached for one of the thick, fluffy towels hanging on a wall mounted bar.

Drying off, he combed his fingers through his damp hair, and realized he didn't have anything to change into. Panicking over the idea of just waltzing out naked, which seemed a bit too forward even given the nature of tonight’s arrangement, the idea of donning the boxers hiding somewhere in the gory mess in the corner was equally unappealing.

Wrapping the towel around his waist before checking in the mirror one last time that his overgrown locks were presentable, Tim opened the door and stepped out of the washroom.

Shivering as he felt the chilly transition from steamy shower to room temperature, Tim took a few tentative steps forward, eying the rest of the suite as he fiddled with the towel knot.

The room was lavishly simple, much like the decor he’d seen on his way up. A plush, spotless white duvet and pillows were laid out on a bed that dominated the wall to his right. Opposite, a large picture window took up most of the wall to his left, framing the dark skyline cut by the myriad of tall structures, shining brilliantly under the moonlight and the bands of light cutting through glass and steel.

The scars of the Maliwan siege were hardly visible from this angle, and the cityscape appeared calm and orderly.

In front of the window, feet bare on the soft carpet, Zane tipped back a can of beer. Condensation dripped off the aluminium as the older man's adams apple bobbed, the movement strangely hypnotic as Tim padded towards him.

The doppelganger didn’t miss the blue eye roving over his body, over the map of scars to the towel at his waist, lingering a little too long before darting back to meet Tim’s gaze.

"Well now," Zane hummed, setting his beer down on the window ledge. "If I had any doubts about the direction this evenin' was takin'--"

Pulse quickening, very conscious that Zane was fully clothed and he was most definitely not, Tim waited as the older man approached.

When the distance between them became mere inches, Tim licked his lips nervously before boldly tilting his head in.

If there was one thing he'd regretted from their first tryst, it was the lack of kissing.

And Zane, Tim quickly discovered, was a pretty good kisser.

He moaned quietly as Zane kissed him back, tongue swiping across his lips, parting them to delve deeper.

Not wanting to break away, but desperately wanting to feel skin, Tim hooked his fingers under the hem of the older man's shirt. Panting slightly as he pulled back from their kiss, Zane obligingly lifted his arms so Tim could strip him of the garment.

Zane's body was not dissimilar to his own, though the older man's frame was much leaner, with a utilitarian, almost spartan grace. As was expected from their profession, scars and long healed wounds littered Zane's chest and abdomen, some prominent enough Tim wondered about the stories behind them.

A warm pressure at the back of his neck, Zane’s palm pulled him back in. There was a greater sense of urgency, just the right amount of pressure to the nape of his neck as Zane kissed the younger man breathless.

Tim idly traced the pads of his fingers lightly up Zane's torso, running them over the patchwork of scars. He felt the muscle twitch under his touch, palming the older man's gently rising and falling chest before trailing down to the front of Zane's pants.

Zane's fingers made quick work of the towel, tossing it aside. Tim shivered, the cool air on his skin and the hot breath of the assassin's words in his ear raising goosebumps.

"We've got a lot more space this time, what's on your mind," he murmured, the scratch of his beard and sideburns not unwelcome as Zane's lips ghosted over his shoulder and neck.

Toying with the waist of the older man’s pants, Tim swallowed a dry lump in his throat. His knees shook slightly as he began lowing himself down.

He was somewhat dismayed when he felt hands pulling at his shoulders.

"Gettin' the picture loud and clear," Zane assured him as Tim rose back up to eye level.

“But think I can improve on it some, if you're game."

Nodding, Tim let himself be led to the bed, the light touch of calloused fingers the only guidance he needed to sprawl out in the middle of the plush duvet.

He expected Zane to lay next to him, or atop him maybe, but instead the hit man walked round to the headboard, stepping out of his slacks before lifting his knees on to the mattress.

Tim's stomach clenched in anticipation as he realized what Zane had in mind. The mattress dipped as Zane shimmied over the sheets, laying on his side, positioned so his length bobbed enticingly close. Following suit, Tim turned on his side, sliding a palm over Zane’s thigh, watching a bead of pre come form at Zane's tip.

"Better setup, am I right?" the operative grinned, tonguing the younger man’s erection for emphasis.

"D-definitely," Tim gasped as without further warning he was engulfed in wet heat. He peered down, watching the movement of Zane’s throat as he swallowed around the hard flesh. The visual stimulus stoked the pleasure flooding through him and made his hips jerk forward hungrily.

Knees shaking slightly, he shifted to give the older man better access. Then, with one hand on Zane's hip, the other gently stroking his length, Tim sucked the tip into his mouth.

The tang of pre made him moan, and he pressed forward, lips tight as he slowly ran his tongue along the unfamiliar map of ridges and veins.

Already moving in a steady rhythm, Zane hummed around him, not pausing in his motions. Tim moved more slowly. He may not be the most adventurous of lovers, but this was something he always enjoyed; the feel of a cock heavy on his tongue, breathing in the musk unique to each partner, even the sensation of almost choking when he bobbed forward a little too enthusiastically sent heat rushing to his groin.

Gripping the base, Tim continued, sucking along the sides of the shaft, running the flat of his tongue over it, suckling gently on the head. Zane didn't show any impatience, but Tim sensed the tension building in his legs as the older man resisted thrusting into the teasing touches.

Tim obligingly took Zane fully in his mouth, gently suckling and lathing each inch slipping past his lips. When his nose brushed the tidy patch of pubic hair and the blunt head pressed against the back of his throat, Tim swallowed, relaxing his throat as best he could, eyes fluttered shut as he moaned around the fullness in his mouth. Distantly, he heard an echoing, muffled sound of pleasure from Zane, followed by a hard suck that fed the heat pooling in his own groin.

Hollowing his cheeks, Tim started a slow rhythm, pulling off Zane's cock so his lips encompassed the tip before taking it back to the hilt. Eyes half lidded and hazy, he picked up the pace, matching his rhythm to Zane’s, hand sliding over the slicked length each time he withdrew.

Wrapped up in getting and giving pleasure, Tim’s brain sluggishly registered the insistent push and pull of Zane’s hands on his legs.

It took a moment to realize Zane was wordlessly asking him to move along with him as he rolled onto his back, and Tim let himself be manoeuvred so his legs straddled the assassin’s head, his elbows pressing into the soft sheets on either side of Zane’s thighs.

He didn’t resist, and the position change sent an excited thrill through him, but Tim felt incredibly exposed, like he was on display.

Pushing the thought aside, Tim took Zane back into his mouth as his hips were pulled down and his length engulfed in wet heat.

They moved in tandem, Tim's head bobbing down, gently cupping and rolling Zane's balls in his palm as the older man pulled his hips down lower.

Zane gave him a hard suck before he drew his head back, letting Tim slip out of his mouth.

Tim's cock leaked against Zane's chest. Before he could mourn the loss of Zane's mouth on him, he felt the wet tip of a tongue teasing his entrance, circling the tight pucker. Zane’s hands spread him wider, and his tongue pressed into him, facial hair tickling at Tim’s skin.

Gasping, they were connected for a brief moment by a thin thread of drool as Tim pulled off Zane's cock. He felt his elbows and knees shaking, partly from the somewhat awkward angle of his body, but mostly from the attention Zane was lathing on him. Strong hands gripped the supple muscle of his ass, spreading him wide, giving more access for Zane's tongue.

He cried out as the older man thrust his tongue in and out, wriggling and licking as he ate out Tim’s ass. Tim's pulse thrummed and his senses were overloaded as a hand returned to his length, pumping in slow, uneven strokes. Head dropping, Tim’s cheek brushed Zane’s saliva slick tip. The assassin’s tongue circling and penetrating his hole combined with the attention on his cock were too much.

“Zane…If you…I’m gonna…”

Zane hummed into his skin, hand squeezing tighter, the flat of his tongue licking over Tim’s hole.

“Go ahead.”

Idly stroking Zane through the fog of lust, Tim's breath was ragged under the dual onslaught, Zane’s tongue probing deeper, his calloused fingers teasing his dripping length. Legs shaking, it was a challenge to support his own weight as Tim quickly felt himself losing control.

He was careful not to squeeze Zane too hard, his body spasming as he came, orgasm rippling through his tense muscles. Panting, he continued pumping Zane’s still hard cock with a whimper, his knees threatening to give out as the older man stroked and licked him to over sensitivity.

Not wanting to collapse on Zane’s face, Tim’s body quivered weakly as he rolled onto his side. He was still flush in the afterglow as he moved to continue working Zane’s cock before the older man stopped him again.

“We can take a wee break,” Zane assured him, stroking Tim’s thigh gently before raising him self off the bed. “Got plenty of time. ‘Less you’ve got other plans?”

Shaking his head limply, Tim let himself sink fully in the soft bedding.

Chest still rising and falling rapidly, he followed Zane’s movements. The other man was still hard, the doppelganger’s come glistening wetly where it dripped down his chest. Grabbing the discarded towel from the floor, Zane wiped himself off and retrieved his can of beer from the window sill.

Taking a deep gulp, Zane rested casually back against the window ledge, seemingly unbothered by the lack of attention to his straining erection. Tim was slightly in awe of the man's patience.

“So, how’d ya get into the contract killer junket?” Zane asked, swirling the remaining liquid in the can. “If ya don’t mind me askin’.”

Tim raised himself on his elbows to answer, slightly self-conscious of his nudity, while Zane seemed totally at ease.

“Student loans,” he answered simply with a mirthless chuckle.

“I mean,” he supplemented when he saw one of Zane’s brows arch skeptically. “I needed money. A LOT of money. There weren’t a lot of options and —“

He stopped himself, gaze hastily darting away.

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Zane interjected. “But you don’t strike me as the type to take to this line of work well.”

Tim laughed despite himself. “Yeah, I really didn’t,” he admitted. “It’s a lot easier now, but sometimes…it still gets to me.”

“Why not just stop then?” Zane asked in all seriousness, not a trace of humor.

Tim had asked himself the same question countless times. _Why not just quit? Why not just disappear?_

“It’s…complicated,” Tim muttered weakly.

“Complicated?” Zane repeated, bringing the can of beer to his lips. As they talked, his erection was flagging with the lack of attention, but Zane paid it no mind.

“Well for one thing, I still have loan payments to —“

Zane sputtered, beer dripping into his beard as he coughed.

“You kill people for a livin’!” he bellowed through a coughing fit, wiping at his face with the back of his hand. He crushed the empty can, setting it on the window sill. “We’re committin’ what’s probably the worst crime there is, the hell you still paying student loans for?!”

Tim frowned, as if the answer should be obvious. “I haven’t paid it all off yet so —“

Zane cut him off. “_You kill people for a living_,” he repeated again, as if the repetition would lead to understanding, either his or Tim’s. “You’re outside the law already, why even bother?”

He made his way to sit on the edge of the bed as the younger man chewed the inside of his cheek, guiltily. The thought had crossed his mind, but he struggled to put his dedication to paying off a very sizeable debt into words.

“I want to do…something…law abiding,” he mumbled. “Even if it’s the only decent thing I do.” The words sounded incredibly stupid out loud, but he didn’t know how else to phrase it. He still felt some nagging obligation to pay back what he owed, regardless of the other crimes he committed, maintaining the perhaps deluded notion that this commitment kept him respectable.

As if a hit man who made his minimum payments was somehow less dastardly than a hit man who didn’t.

He shook the thought aside, not wanting to board what he knew was a depressing train of thought.

Unaware of these dark musings, Zane chuckled and reached towards the bedside table, where an assortment of condoms and bottle of lube were laid out. Either this hotel provided their guests all conceivable amenities, or the older man had conveniently thought ahead. The intent behind the simple gesture made Tim’s stomach flutter. Scarred fingers closed around one of the wrappers, and Zane crawled on top of him, pressing his lips to Tim’s.

“Have half a mind to take those debtors of yours out,” the older man breathed between kisses. The gruff exhales coupled with the hoppy taste of Zane’s breath sent a hot prickle of arousal through Tim’s body, and he felt himself getting hard again.

“Bet someone out there’s already got a contract out for ‘em, wouldn’t even be on your moral lil’ head.”

Tim didn’t currently have the capacity to judge whether Zane was kidding or not. The fate of his creditors after this hookup was the furthest thing from his mind as he dipped his tongue into the older man’s mouth.

Soft hums rumbled from their throats as their tongues slid against each other. Tim sucked at Zane’s, possessively, almost daring the older man to withdraw it. In answer, Zane pressed in closer, grinding against him, rock hard again.

As they finally broke apart, Tim gazed up, lips kiss swollen, eyes heavy and unfocused.

The strip of light in Zane’s eyepatch glowed faintly, and the doppelganger wondered if it concealed a wound, or if it’s real purpose was to focus the vision in that eye.

He didn’t know why this was the detail he was focusing on, as Zane’s visible eye regarded him with the same look of lust Tim knew was mirrored on his own.

Wordlessly, Tim spread his legs as Zane shuffled back, his hips involuntarily chasing the other man’s warmth, his cock arched and straining for the lost contact.

Eye trained on the younger man’s face, Zane deftly ripped open the wrapper and began rolling the condom over his length. “Remember your preference, that still stand?” Zane asked, the corner of his lip twitching. “Or did toppin’ a handsome devil such as meself change that?”

Tim grinned, heart drumming within his chest. He reached over, snatching the lube off the side table and passing it into Zane’s outstretched hand in answer.

Taking the silent affirmation, Zane tipped out a generous dollop and began coating his length. Impatiently, Tim’s hand snaked down to palm at his growing erection. The noise Zane made was somewhere between a purr and a growl as he watched Tim stroke himself in time with Zane’s movements.

Desperate, as if he hadn’t just gotten off once already, Tim bit back a low whine, squeezing the base of his cock as Zane shifted between his legs, guiding himself forward to teasingly nudge the younger man’s hole.

“Please,” Tim almost begged, the word thick in his throat. Wriggling in an attempt to urge the other man on, any other words lumped in his throat, leaving him to repeat his plea again as he stroked himself.

Zane was still for a moment, his pupil blown as he watched.

Half expecting a smart remark or more teasing, Tim was startled but relieved when he felt the tinge of discomfort as the older man pressed slowly into him.

Tim exhaled shakily, his hand slowing on his length, focusing only on the feel of his body stretching around the other man. It was another sensation the doppelganger looked to savour in any encounter, the pleasure that walked the edge of pain, the feeling of being filled that was at once unwelcome and also desperately needed.

“F-fuck,” Tim swore, hands clutching at Zane’s back as the older man pushed forward abruptly, dropping to his elbows, patience apparently at its end as he bottomed out.

The sharp bite of pain didn’t linger, and subsided into need. It shouldn’t have felt so good, Tim thought, reeling, as he tentatively rolled his hips, easing his body out of the shock of the sudden intrusion. Despite the solid bed beneath him and Zane’s warm body above him, he felt dizzy, like he was floating over a vast emptiness.

“Jus' lookit the state of ya," Zane whispered, thrusting shallowly, gently pulling at Tim’s lower lip with his teeth as the younger man gasped for breath. He pressed his hips forward again, a bit more forefully, and Tim threw his head back, eyes almost rolling back at how utterly full he felt.

It took a few more shallow thrusts for Tim to fully adjust.

He felt Zane's breath, heard it rushing past his parted lips as he moved above him, his only visible eye startlingly blue. He moved in a controlled rhythm, encouraged by Tim's pleas and moans. 

Invasive thoughts permeated the thick fog of pleasure, thoughts Tim couldn't completely block out even as he felt the familiar tension building within him.

He ran his hands over Zane's back, the motion eased by the sheen of sweat over the scarred skin. His fingernails bit down as the older man’s pace quickened, his hips snapping forward aggressively.

They'd been in close quarters before, crammed into a stall meant for one. That had been heated, baseless need, a desperate rhythm pounded out in tandem, closeness without intimacy. Here, in the spacious luxury of a room bigger than his own bachelor suite, Tim felt almost claustrophobic. 

This, Tim gasped, eyes squeezed shut as Zane angled his hips, succeeding in hitting his mark, this felt decidedly different. There was something intangible in this coupling that Tim couldn't name, couldn’t define.

He only knew that it frightened him a little.

Zane thrust into him, need seeping into the controlled movements as they became more and more erratic, Zane's gruff whisper something inaudible Tim couldn't make out.

Tim felt unease, uncertain whether he was just used to things going badly, or if there was actually anything to worry about. Annoyed that his attention was being split, he focused on the sound of their skin sliding and slapping as their bodies met, on the pleasure, flooding his veins like gasoline, waiting for the spark to set it ablaze.

"Look at me."

If the order hadn't sent a chill through his already overheated body, Tim might have refused. It felt like every muscle in his body was in the grasp of a vice, compressed under an impossible pressure. His toes curled, his fingers digging harder into Zane’s back.

Zane’s face was tight with exertion. The singularity of his focus made Tim want to look away.

But he didn’t. He gazed back, lids heavy, breathing hard as he felt the pressure close in, ready to break him.

“Zane, I’m -“

The tension broke and he became weightless. Tim came, hard. Orgasm bloomed through him, like ink blotting and consuming a blank page.

Whether he’d closed his eyes or his vision was just clearing, Zane suddenly filled his view, sweat beaded on his brow, his motions stilled as he pulsed within him.  
  
Feeling as though every bone in his body had melted into a gentle euphoria, Tim’s arm reached up, independent from any thought, cupping Zane’s face, stubble rough against his palm. Before he could shy away, he pulled the older man down into a languid kiss.

Zane obliged, weight shifting to rest more heavily atop him, sated and relaxed.

“Stay the night,” Zane murmured, nuzzling Tim’s neck as he carefully withdrew and rolled to the side.

It wasn’t an order or an invitation, and Zane didn’t seem to expect an answer. Tim had never been completely at ease spending the night with anyone, especially after the bounty for any remaining Jack clones had been posted.

He was struck by the fact that everything seemed much simpler with Zane. For someone so used to hardship, Tim figured this would take some getting used to.

The thought prickled through the back of his mind, squirming through the afterglow. _Take some getting used to._ It implied this would become a regular thing, that Tim wanted it to become a regular thing.

Biting his lip, he realized he might be in trouble.

After discarding the used condom in the trash under the bedside table, Zane stretched out next to Tim, head resting on the pillow of his arms crossed above his head.

The silence between them was calm and relaxed. Tim closed his eyes, inhaling and exhaling deeply as he pressed his palms into the soft fabric beneath them. He frowned as he felt an uncomfortable sensation on his abdomen and remembered he’d yet to clean himself up.

He made to get up before Zane extended a box of tissues his way.

“Thanks,” Tim yawned, unable to hold back. It was an effort to wipe off his abdomen. He was so relaxed and contented and warm, he wouldn’t say no to a nap.

“Can call up some room service if you’re hungry,” Zane rubbed his jaw absently, looking almost as drowsy as Tim felt. “Get ‘em to take away that bloody pile used to be your clothes for a good cleaning, too.”

Tim chuckled. “Sounds good,” he answered, raising himself up and reaching over Zane to toss out the soiled tissue.

As the doppelganger stretched over, the operative pulled him down for a bout of lazy kisses. Tim didn’t protest, and let his weight sink into the embrace. If he was too heavy, Zane didn't say anything.

The night had gotten off to such a dismal start, but Tim had to admit things had turned around. There might be some overthinking to do in the morning, but at least the universe had cut him a break.


End file.
